Category Archives: Carroll

This summer, while other kids are singing songs around a fire, kids who attend Banning Mills’ summer camp will be experiencing a whole new kind of adventure filled with adrenaline pumping activities. Camp Adventure is returning to Historic Banning Mills, home of the world’s largest continuous zip line eco-canopy adventure tours. Campers ages 8 to 14 are invited to partake in all that Camp Adventure has to offer from June 18 – 22, June 25 – 29, July 9 – 13, and July 16 – 20. For a fee of $295 per week, campers will be able to enjoy all of Camp Adventure’s thrilling activities, including almost 10 miles of zip lines and aerial adventures, the 600-foot Sky Trek Bridge, the World’s Tallest Freestanding Climbing Wall, the 100-foot Power Free Fall, archery, fishing, kayaking and paddle boarding on the ‘Hooch, volleyball, swimming, mini golf, field games, and much more.

“The goal of Camp Adventure is to challenge campers to conquer fears, make new friends, reach outside of his/her comfort zone and find their brave,” said Donna Holder, founder of Historic Banning Mills. “Camp Adventure is a special time here at Historic Banning Mills, and we look forward to hosting campers and helping them achieve their dreams through adventure.”

Safety is a top priority of Historic Banning Mills. A closed continuous belay system is used throughout the entire aerial challenge course to ensure maximum safety on aerial adventures. The staff and counselors a Camp Adventure are highly trained in CPR/First Aid, Wilderness First Aid and High Rescue. An EMT, a Registered Nurse and CPR/First Aid instructors are also on staff.

Extended care is available to all parents if needed. Be sure to contact Historic Banning Mills by phone at 770-834-9149 to arrange the details specific needs of each camper and parent.

Gov. Nathan Deal today announced 18 grant award winners for the Innovation Fund, a competitive grant program that provides funding to local education authorities and schools to further advance student achievement in Georgia.

“The Innovation Fund Grant is an opportunity to fuel the innovative ideas of Georgia’s education leaders and students throughout the state,” said Deal. “I am confident this funding will give schools and education groups a greater opportunity to develop methods to ensure that every Georgia student is given the tools necessary for academic achievement.”

The programs are aligned with the following priority areas: applied learning with a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education; development and replication of blended learning school models; birth to age eight language and literacy development; and teacher and leader development for high-need schools.

Grantees will evaluate the effectiveness of their programs and submit their findings to the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. The state will use these findings to determine best practices in each of the priority areas.

The grant award winners and their respective programs are listed below:

Planning Grants

Planning grants will provide each winner between $5,000 to $10,000 over one year to research and develop an innovative education program aligned with one of the Innovation Fund priority areas.

Baldwin County School District
Read Baldwin County

Clarke County School District
Coaching for Innovation in P-3 Language & Literacy

Charles R. Drew Charter School
21CLM: Promoting School Innovation and Success throughout Georgia

The Innovation Fund invests in public education entities that aggressively develop and scale programs that enable Georgia educators to improve student performance and tackle our state’s most significant education challenges. In 2011, The Innovation Fund began as a $19.4 million competitive grant competition created under Georgia’s Race to the Top (RT3) Plan. To continue the Innovation Fund’s work beyond RT3, Governor Deal appropriated state funding for Fiscal Years (FY) 2015, 2016, and 2017. Since its inception, the Innovation Fund has invested $32 million of state and federal funding through 84 grants to 55 school districts, charter schools, postsecondary institutions and nonprofit organizations to pilot innovative education programs, ranging in focus from teacher and leader induction and development to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) applied learning, blended learning, and birth to age eight language and literacy development. More information about the Innovation Fund can be found on the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement website.

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Transportation recently awarded more than $ 74,000 for the 2014 GATEway Grants to two local government entities in Northwest Georgia. Funds from the grants will be used to reimburse the Carroll County Board of Commissioners ($47,633) and the city of Chickamauga ($34,392) in Catoosa County for purchasing and installing plant material for landscape projects on SR 1 at milepost 20 in Carroll County and US 27 at milepost 22 in Catoosa County.

“This is a wonderful chance to partner with our local governments as they improve the landscape throughout Georgia,” Georgia DOT Commissioner Keith Golden said. “We want to seize every opportunity available to us to show our local governments just how committed we are to them and to this great state.”

Eighty-three applications were submitted statewide, and the Department hopes to award additional grants to other worthy projects soon. Project proposals ranged from interstate interchange panoramas to landscape embellishment of city entrance signs. Forty-three submissions across the state were funded in the first round of awards after review by the Roadside Enhancement and Beautification Council.

The Council is comprised of twelve members, appointed by the Governor. Members include the chairperson of the Senate Transportation Committee, the chairperson of the House Transportation Committee, the GDOT Deputy Commissioner, a member of the Georgia Conservancy, a member from the Garden Clubs of Georgia, Inc.,. a member of the faculty of the School of Environmental Design at the University of Georgia, member from the Sierra Club, a member from the Georgia Wildlife Federation, and four members of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Georgia, Inc.

The GATEway Grant program uses revenue collected from permit fees for vegetation removal in front of outdoor advertising signs. Any organization, local government, or state agency can apply for a grant up to $ 50,000.00 contingent upon authorization by a local government and an agreement to perpetually maintain the project. A primary goal of the GATEway Grant program is to fund enduring enhancements to roadsides utilized by the traveling public.